Dawn Wells Needed a GoFundMe to Pay Medical Bills After Losing Her Money and Suffering a Fall
Dawn Wells, known as Mary Ann Summers on the iconic television sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” received much-needed help after an injury added to her pre-existing struggles which left her homeless.
Last year August, Dugg Kirkpatrick, Dawn’s stylist and friend started a GoFundMe page to help her out of troubles which started back in 2008.
With the financial crisis in 2008, Dawn “lost everything including her life savings” with a good portion of the $194,000 listed to “alleviate penalties by the IRS,” Dugg wrote on her GoFundMe page.
A friend told TMZ in September last year that Dawn broke her knee while recovering from “a life-threatening surgery,” which “came close to killing her.”
The 80-year-old actress has no family and lost her home. She needed to be moved to a smaller assisted living home specifically for those in the film and television industry, but because of her $180 debt, they refused to accept her.
Dawn’s compounding problems is what caused Dugg to start the GoFundMe page, which she initially told Inside Edition out of pride she didn't need. "I am not dead broke," she said. "I can handle it. I can get a job and go to work. ... I didn't ask him to do that."
She had since let go of the stubborn notion and thanked all those who donated and showed their support during the uncertain time. Although her fundraising campaign listed $194,000 as needed, it raised a total of 205,510 and is now closed.
In gratitude towards those who showed their support, Dawn wrote a message on Facebook. “Wow! I am amazed at the kindness and affection I have received from the current outpouring in regards to the Go Fund Me Page that is grabbing so much attention and want to address it,” she began the post.
Dawn thanked her, “dear, dear friend” Dugg for creating the page and helping her with “common issues” while she spoke of his actions as “someone protecting their child.”
“I thought I was taking all the proper steps to ensure my golden years. Now, here I am, no family, no husband, no kids, and no money,” she wrote. “I'm grateful that God has given me so many friends and fans who care, or it would all be too ....overwhelming.”
The actress had a brief and childless marriage to Larry Rosen, a talent agent in 1962 which ended in divorce in 1967.
During that time, she starred in “Gilligan’s Island” which aired on CBS from September 1964 until 1967.
The Reno, Nevada native made her Hollywood debut in the early 1960s on the ABC show “The Roaring 20s and since appeared in 45 television and film productions.
However, it's been many years since “Gilligan’s Island” graced our screens, and sadly, Dawn is one of only two members still alive from the show’s cast.
The other surviving member, 84-year-old Tina Louise, won fans over with her natural elegance in the role of Ginger Grant.
Out and about, Tina Louise got spotted in Los Angeles with a male companion, who gallantly helped her up and down steps and curbs for a day on the town.